


It Starts and Ends with a Bullet

by Wanderer (Straggler)



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beach Scene, Gen, Other, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-10
Updated: 2012-01-10
Packaged: 2017-10-29 07:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/317433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Straggler/pseuds/Wanderer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’s never been one to think about the implications of his actions until it’s done, but this is the one time he wished he had been more careful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Starts and Ends with a Bullet

**Author's Note:**

> This is another take of how it could've gone so, so wrong for everybody on that beach and how one careless mistake can have such huge repercussions.

 

The moment he heard Raven scream above the roar of bullets he knew something had gone horribly wrong. Before Erik could turn his gaze back out to the sea, arms raised to prevent another onslaught of missiles from falling upon them, he saw Moira drop her gun and raise her own hands to her mouth to stop her startled cry from escaping her lips. He looked at her in mild confusion, then realized how quiet Charles was being, regardless of the helmet that laid in the way.

 

He followed her watery gaze, ignored her as she fell to her knees with her hands clenched over her mouth to mute her sobs. He followed her gaze and saw Charles lying prone with his head turned towards him, his eyes blue and empty, a bullet hole in his forehead with blood spilling down his face and pooling on the rough sand.

 

All the air in his lungs left him in a shaky breath as his whole body shook at the sight of Charles dead by his own hands.

 

Erik never meant for this to happen; Charles wasn’t supposed to die, caught in a foolish crossfire.

 

His feet moved closer of its’ own volition and he crumbled to his knees to gingerly turn the man over to lie on his lap. The bullet hole was dead center, a sick parody of what he did to Shaw. He gritted his teeth in shame, anger, _hurt_ ; the world was so unfair.

 

‘I’m so sorry,’ his hand trembled as he brushed the sand, blood and grit away from the man’s cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he repeated, unable to utter anything else but apology after apology to a dead man whom had been the closest thing to a friend he’s ever had in so many years.

 

From behind him, he could hear Moira crying in earnest, and just further down inland, he could hear Raven howling in pain, as though a piece of her soul had suddenly been ripped away from her. He could hear her cursing and screaming for all she was worth and he could hear Hank, Alex and Sean trying to hold her back from hurting herself and everybody else around her.

 

Erik never meant to rip a family to pieces just because his own was taken away from him. He never meant to murder someone who didn’t deserve it. He and Charles may have often disagreed but he never, never, never meant to harm him.

 

Tears pooled in his vision as his quivering fingers continue to wipe away the blood. And as he stared at the bullet hole, he couldn’t help but be reminded of a time he gave Charles a gun and told him to shoot him point blank.

 

He let out a hysterical laugh as he stared into Charles still-blue eyes. This was irony at its fullest potential—so, so cruel.

 

His laughter turned into a pained moan, a soul-deep hurt for his one and only equal, which turned into a guttural cry, a wrenching stab he felt wrack through his body as he held Charles closer to him.

 

Erik continued to mumble one useless apology after another into Charles’ deaf ears. He wished he had the ability to turn back time and undo every wrong he had committed, this one especially. If he had known that Charles would die, he would’ve stopped and gladly taken that bullet in his place.

 

He had never been one to think about the implications of his actions until it’s done, but this was the one time he wished he had been more careful.

 

As he pulled the bullet from Charles’ head, he couldn’t help but think how another person he’s come to care for deeply died because of his failings.


End file.
